By Sourav Shekhar
New Delhi, Feb 17 (.) Goa, which is prominently known for its classic tourism touch, has also leveraged tech in governance to facilitate the development of the state.
The state’s IT policy is specially designed to promote investment in IT and ITeS sectors promising capital subsidies, rental disbursement, power incentives, and simplified land approvals.
Presenting the achievements of the sector in IT and ITeS at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, senior officials of the state told . that the state was the recipient of ‘The Best Performer’ under the 5th state startup ecosystem ranking (Category B) of DPIIT, Government of India.

“We are facilitating good internet connectivity across the state, even village panchayats are establishing Centres of Excellence in Goa by leveraging advanced technologies,” an official said.
Goa has also made rapid strides in ‘e-governance’ facilitating smooth access to government services to the common man.
“We have an AI-based web chatbot which is also integrated with the government’s portal,” an official said.
The state has also taken strong steps in the realm of internet connectivity and is trying to leverage the Goa Broadband Network scheme to its full potential.
The Goa BroadBand Network (GBBN) scheme is a high-speed, state-wide, end-to-end IP-based, fibre optic network infrastructure started by the Government of Goa.
“Under the GBBN scheme, approximately 414 pop locations, 225 govt buildings, and 189 village gram panchayats are covered, which showcases the state’s IT resilience,” they told.
Officials also briefed about the ‘Har Ghar Fibre’ scheme, which is an initiative announced in 2025 to provide high-speed internet to every household, starting with pilots in Porvorim, Sankhalim, and Biocholim.
Goa also has a Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Tuem which is the first dedicated ecosystem for electronics, clean technology and advanced manufacturing industries. It offers world-class industrial infrastructure, integrated utilities and cost-efficient environment which makes it India’s most promising destinations for high-valued and high-innovation manufacturing.
The Department of Information and Technology, Electronics and Communication (DITE&C) is also planning to host the ‘Goa AI Hackathon’ to foster the use of artificial intelligence in the government delivery system.
“We will collect problem statements from different departments of the state government,” a senior official said.
He also listed key initiatives taken by the state government: (i) AI for Governance Program, which is related to sensitising the government departments on AI adoption; (ii) AI Labs in Academic Institution which aims to build a skilled and future-ready workforce; (iii) AI-powered Whatsapp Chatbot which is providing citizens access to over 240 government services across more than 60 departments. . SAS KK